WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Sam Brownback today re-introduced the Native American Apology Resolution, which offers an apology from the United States government to American Indians.

"The resolution seeks reconciliation and offers an official apology to Native peoples for the poor choices the federal government made in the past," said Brownback. "I firmly believe that in order to move forward and have a true reconciliation, the federal government needs to formally apologize."

The Native American Apology Resolution would extend a formal apology from the United States to Tribal governments and Native people nationwide. Companion legislation was introduced today in the House by Representative Dan Boren.

Brownback continued, "While we cannot erase the past, it is time for us to heal past wounds. We should acknowledge previous failures, express sincere regrets, and work toward establishing a brighter future for all Americans."

The resolution of apology does not authorize or serve as a settlement of any claim against the United States and does not resolve many challenges still facing Native peoples. The Native American Apology Resolution has been introduced in previous Congresses.

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For centuries, relations between the United States and the Native peoples of this land have been in disrepair. I believe it is time we worked to restore these relationships to good health.

Certainly, we cannot erase the record of our past. However, we can acknowledge our past failures and work toward establishing a brighter future for all Americans. To achieve these goals, I introduced Senate Joint Resolution 4 in the 109th Congress to extend a formal apology from the United States to Tribal governments and Native people nationwide. This resolution does not authorize or serve as a settlement of any claim against the United States, nor will it resolve the many challenges still facing Native peoples. Further, this resolution does not dismiss the valiance of American soldiers or Native warriors who bravely fought for their families in wars between the United States and the many Indian Tribes.

Even from the earliest days of our Republic, there has existed a sentiment that honorable dealings and peaceful coexistence were needed in our relations with our Native neighbors. Indeed, our predecessors in Congress in 1787 stated in the Northwest Ordinance, "The utmost good faith shall always be observed toward the Indians." It is my hope that this apology will be a foundation for a new era of positive relations between Tribal governments and the United States.

In February 2008, the Native American Apology Resolution was successfully added to the Indian Health Care Improvement Act in the Senate by a voice vote. When the Indian Health Care bill passed the Senate that same month, the Native American Apology was adopted by the Senate. Currently, the Indian Health Care Improvement Act and the Native American Apology Resolution await further action in the House of Representatives. It is my hope that as we move forward as a country, this Apology might help bring healing and reconciliation between the Federal Government and the Native Peoples of this great land.

S.J. RES.4 - A joint resolution to acknowledge a long history of official depredations and ill-conceived policies by the United States Government regarding Indian tribes and offer an apology to all Native Peopples on behalf of the United States

- - -Previously posted on this subjectFeb 2008Summary

Declares that the United States acting through Congress:

(1) recognizes the special legal and political relationship the Indian tribes have with it, the solemn covenant with the land we share, and that there have been years of official depredations, ill-conceived policies, and the breaking of covenants by the Federal Government regarding Indian tribes;

(2) commends and honors the Native Peoples for the thousands of years that they have stewarded and protected this land;

(3) apologizes on behalf of the people of the United States to all Native Peoples for the many instances of violence, maltreatment, and neglect inflicted on them by U.S. citizens;

(4) expresses its regret for the ramifications of former offenses and its commitment to build on the positive relationships of the past and present to move toward a brighter future where all the people of this land live reconciled as brothers and sisters, and harmoniously steward and protect this land together;

(5) urges the President to acknowledge the wrongs of the United States against Indian tribes in U.S. history in order to bring healing to this land by providing a proper foundation for reconciliation between such entities; and

(6) commends the State governments that have begun reconciliation efforts with recognized Indian tribes located in their boundaries and encourages all State governments similarly to do the same.

Provides that nothing in this Joint Resolution authorizes any claim against the United States or serves as a settlement of any claim against it.

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Brownback Applauds Passage of Native American Apology Amendment to Indian Health Bill

Friday, February 15, 2008

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Sam Brownback today applauded passage of an amendment to the Indian Health Care Bill offering an official apology from the United States federal government to Native Americans. Senator Brownback has been calling for an apology since 2004.

"With this apology, the federal government can repair and improve our relationship with Native Americans," said Brownback. "While we cannot erase the past, this amendment hopefully helps heal the wounds that have divided America for too long."

The Indian Health Care Bill is being debated on the Senate floor this week. Brownback's resolution, which had 13 co-sponsors, and passed tonight by voice vote as an amendment, recognizes the impact of destructive federal policies in the past toward Native Americans and is intended to facilitate reconciliation and healing.

Brownback continued, "Our nation's relationship with the Native peoples of this land is an issue that is very important to the health of the United States. For too much of our history, Federal-Tribal relations have been marked by broken treaties, mistreatment, and dishonorable dealings. We can acknowledge our past failures, express sincere regrets, and establish a brighter future for all Americans.

"This amendment does not diminish the valiance of our American soldiers who fought bravely for their families in wars between the United States and a number of the Indian Tribes. Nor does this amendment cast the blame for the various battles on one side or another. What this apology does do is recognize and honor the importance of Native Americans to this land and to our nation - in the past and today - and offers this apology to Native peoples for the poor and painful choices our government sometimes made to disregard its solemn word. Hopefully, this apology will help restore the relationship between the United States and Native Americans."

JOINT RESOLUTIONTo acknowledge a long history of official depredations and ill-conceived policies by the United States Government regarding Indian tribes and offer an apology to all Native Peoples on behalf of the United States.

Whereas the ancestors of today's Native Peoples inhabited the land of the present-day United States since time immemorial and for thousands of years before the arrival of peoples of European descent;

Whereas the Native Peoples have for millennia honored, protected, and stewarded this land we cherish;

Whereas the Native Peoples are spiritual peoples with a deep and abiding belief in the Creator, and for millennia their peoples have maintained a powerful spiritual connection to this land, as is evidenced by their customs and legends;

Whereas the arrival of Europeans in North America opened a new chapter in the histories of the Native Peoples;

Whereas, while establishment of permanent European settlements in North America did stir conflict with nearby Indian tribes, peaceful and mutually beneficial interactions also took place;

Whereas the foundational English settlements in Jamestown, Virginia, and Plymouth, Massachusetts, owed their survival in large measure to the compassion and aid of the Native Peoples in their vicinities;

Whereas in the infancy of the United States, the founders of the Republic expressed their desire for a just relationship with the Indian tribes, as evidenced by the Northwest Ordinance enacted by Congress in 1787, which begins with the phrase, `The utmost good faith shall always be observed toward the Indians';

Whereas Indian tribes provided great assistance to the fledgling Republic as it strengthened and grew, including invaluable help to Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their epic journey from St. Louis, Missouri, to the Pacific Coast;

Whereas the United States Government violated many of the treaties ratified by Congress and other diplomatic agreements with Indian tribes;

Whereas this Nation should address the broken treaties and many of the more ill-conceived Federal policies that followed, such as extermination, termination, forced removal and relocation, the outlawing of traditional religions, and the destruction of sacred places;

Whereas the United States forced Indian tribes and their citizens to move away from their traditional homelands and onto federally established and controlled reservations, in accordance with such Acts as the Indian Removal Act of 1830;

Whereas many Native Peoples suffered and perished--

(1) during the execution of the official United States Government policy of forced removal, including the infamous Trail of Tears and Long Walk;

(2) during bloody armed confrontations and massacres, such as the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864 and the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890; and

(3) on numerous Indian reservations;

Whereas the United States Government condemned the traditions, beliefs, and customs of the Native Peoples and endeavored to assimilate them by such policies as the redistribution of land under the General Allotment Act of 1887 and the forcible removal of Native children from their families to faraway boarding schools where their Native practices and languages were degraded and forbidden;

Whereas officials of the United States Government and private United States citizens harmed Native Peoples by the unlawful acquisition of recognized tribal land and the theft of tribal resources and assets from recognized tribal land;

Whereas the policies of the United States Government toward Indian tribes and the breaking of covenants with Indian tribes have contributed to the severe social ills and economic troubles in many Native communities today;

Whereas, despite the wrongs committed against Native Peoples by the United States, the Native Peoples have remained committed to the protection of this great land, as evidenced by the fact that, on a per capita basis, more Native people have served in the United States Armed Forces and placed themselves in harm's way in defense of the United States in every major military conflict than any other ethnic group;

Whereas Indian tribes have actively influenced the public life of the United States by continued cooperation with Congress and the Department of the Interior, through the involvement of Native individuals in official United States Government positions, and by leadership of their own sovereign Indian tribes;

Whereas Indian tribes are resilient and determined to preserve, develop, and transmit to future generations their unique cultural identities;

Whereas the National Museum of the American Indian was established within the Smithsonian Institution as a living memorial to the Native Peoples and their traditions; and

Whereas Native Peoples are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, and that among those are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND APOLOGY.

The United States, acting through Congress--

(1) recognizes the special legal and political relationship the Indian tribes have with the United States and the solemn covenant with the land we share;

(2) commends and honors the Native Peoples for the thousands of years that they have stewarded and protected this land;

(3) recognizes that there have been years of official depredations, ill-conceived policies, and the breaking of covenants by the United States Government regarding Indian tribes;

(4) apologizes on behalf of the people of the United States to all Native Peoples for the many instances of violence, maltreatment, and neglect inflicted on Native Peoples by citizens of the United States;

(5) expresses its regret for the ramifications of former wrongs and its commitment to build on the positive relationships of the past and present to move toward a brighter future where all the people of this land live reconciled as brothers and sisters, and harmoniously steward and protect this land together;

(6) urges the President to acknowledge the wrongs of the United States against Indian tribes in the history of the United States in order to bring healing to this land by providing a proper foundation for reconciliation between the United States and Indian tribes; and

(7) commends the State governments that have begun reconciliation efforts with recognized Indian tribes located in their boundaries and encourages all State governments similarly to work toward reconciling relationships with Indian tribes within their boundaries.

SEC. 2. DISCLAIMER.

Nothing in this Joint Resolution--

(1) authorizes or supports any claim against the United States; or

(2) serves as a settlement of any claim against the United States.

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Brownback Native American Apology Resolution Passes Committee

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Sam Brownback’s legislation offering an apology to Native Americans on behalf of the United States government was passed today by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.

“I am pleased the Indian Affairs Committee passed this resolution unanimously, and I’m hopeful Majority Leader Bill Frist will schedule it for consideration by the full Senate in the near future,” Brownback said. “This is a resolution of apology and a resolution of reconciliation. It is a step toward healing the wounds that have divided us for so long – a potential foundation for a new era of positive relations between Tribal governments and the federal government. It is past time for us to heal our land of division, and bring us together as one people.”

Brownback testified last month before the committee on behalf of the resolution.

The legislation, S.J.Res. 15, commends and honors the Native peoples for the thousands of years that they have stewarded and protected this land, and apologizes on behalf of the people of the United States to all Native peoples for the many instances of violence, maltreatment, and neglect inflicted on them by citizens of the United States. It also commits to build on the positive relationships of the past and present to move toward a brighter future “where all the people of this land live reconciled as brothers and sisters, and harmoniously steward and protect this land together.”

Brownback continued, “It’s time to restore the relationship between the United States and the Native peoples to good health. We can’t erase our past record, but we can work together to establish a brighter future for all Americans.”

The resolution will not authorize or serve as a settlement of any claim against the United States.

Brownback was first elected to the Senate to fill the unexpired term of Bob Dole in 1996. He was returned by the voters of Kansas for a full term in 1998, and reelected this past November. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1994-1996. Brownback serves on the Appropriations, Judiciary, and Joint Economic Committees. He also is chairman of the Helsinki Commission and co-chairman of the Senate Cancer Coalition.

U.S. Senate passes Native American Apology Resolution!To acknowledge a long history of official depredations and ill-conceived policies by the Federal Government regarding Indian tribes and offer an apology to all Native Peoples on behalf of the United States.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND) today applauded Senate passage of the Native American Apology Resolution, which offers an apology from the United States government to American Indians.

"The Senate's action today is a big step for the relationship between the federal government and Native Americans," said Brownback. "The resolution seeks reconciliation and offers an official apology to Native Americans for the hurtful choices the federal government made in the past. With this resolution we acknowledge previous failures and express sincere regrets."

Dorgan, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, joined Brownback as co-sponsor of the amendment.

Dorgan said, "It is difficult to know the history of the First Americans and the destructive policies our government has too often followed regarding them, and not be filled with both sadness and regret. It is appropriate that we, as a nation, express that sorrow and regret with this apology resolution."

The Native American Apology Resolution today passed as an amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill.

The resolution extends a formal apology from the United States to tribal governments and Native American people nationwide.

The resolution of apology does not authorize or serve as a settlement of any claim against the United States and does not resolve many challenges still facing Native Americans.

The Native American Apology Resolution has been introduced in previous Congresses, and passed the Senate in 2008, but was not signed into law.

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JOINT RESOLUTION

To acknowledge a long history of official depredations and ill-conceived policies by the Federal Government regarding Indian tribes and offer an apology to all Native Peoples on behalf of the United States.

Whereas the ancestors of today's Native Peoples inhabited the land of the present-day United States since time immemorial and for thousands of years before the arrival of people of European descent;

Whereas for millennia, Native Peoples have honored, protected, and stewarded this land we cherish;

Whereas Native Peoples are spiritual people with a deep and abiding belief in the Creator, and for millennia Native Peoples have maintained a powerful spiritual connection to this land, as evidenced by their customs and legends;

Whereas the arrival of Europeans in North America opened a new chapter in the history of Native Peoples;

Whereas while establishment of permanent European settlements in North America did stir conflict with nearby Indian tribes, peaceful and mutually beneficial interactions also took place;

Whereas the foundational English settlements in Jamestown, Virginia, and Plymouth, Massachusetts, owed their survival in large measure to the compassion and aid of Native Peoples in the vicinities of the settlements;

Whereas in the infancy of the United States, the founders of the Republic expressed their desire for a just relationship with the Indian tribes, as evidenced by the Northwest Ordinance enacted by Congress in 1787, which begins with the phrase, `The utmost good faith shall always be observed toward the Indians';

Whereas Indian tribes provided great assistance to the fledgling Republic as it strengthened and grew, including invaluable help to Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their epic journey from St. Louis, Missouri, to the Pacific Coast;

Whereas Native Peoples and non-Native settlers engaged in numerous armed conflicts in which unfortunately, both took innocent lives, including those of women and children;

Whereas the Federal Government violated many of the treaties ratified by Congress and other diplomatic agreements with Indian tribes;

Whereas the United States forced Indian tribes and their citizens to move away from their traditional homelands and onto federally established and controlled reservations, in accordance with such Acts as the Act of May 28, 1830 (4 Stat. 411, chapter 148) (commonly known as the `Indian Removal Act');

Whereas many Native Peoples suffered and perished--

(1) during the execution of the official Federal Government policy of forced removal, including the infamous Trail of Tears and Long Walk;

(2) during bloody armed confrontations and massacres, such as the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864 and the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890; and

(3) on numerous Indian reservations;

Whereas the Federal Government condemned the traditions, beliefs, and customs of Native Peoples and endeavored to assimilate them by such policies as the redistribution of land under the Act of February 8, 1887 (25 U.S.C. 331; 24 Stat. 388, chapter 119) (commonly known as the `General Allotment Act'), and the forcible removal of Native children from their families to faraway boarding schools where their Native practices and languages were degraded and forbidden;

Whereas officials of the Federal Government and private United States citizens harmed Native Peoples by the unlawful acquisition of recognized tribal land and the theft of tribal resources and assets from recognized tribal land;

Whereas the policies of the Federal Government toward Indian tribes and the breaking of covenants with Indian tribes have contributed to the severe social ills and economic troubles in many Native communities today;

Whereas despite the wrongs committed against Native Peoples by the United States, Native Peoples have remained committed to the protection of this great land, as evidenced by the fact that, on a per capita basis, more Native Peoples have served in the United States Armed Forces and placed themselves in harm's way in defense of the United States in every major military conflict than any other ethnic group;

Whereas Indian tribes have actively influenced the public life of the United States by continued cooperation with Congress and the Department of the Interior, through the involvement of Native individuals in official Federal Government positions, and by leadership of their own sovereign Indian tribes;

Whereas Indian tribes are resilient and determined to preserve, develop, and transmit to future generations their unique cultural identities;

Whereas the National Museum of the American Indian was established within the Smithsonian Institution as a living memorial to Native Peoples and their traditions; and

Whereas Native Peoples are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, and among those are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. RESOLUTION OF APOLOGY TO NATIVE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED STATES.

(a) Acknowledgment and Apology- The United States, acting through Congress--

(1) recognizes the special legal and political relationship Indian tribes have with the United States and the solemn covenant with the land we share;

(2) commends and honors Native Peoples for the thousands of years that they have stewarded and protected this land;

(3) recognizes that there have been years of official depredations, ill-conceived policies, and the breaking of covenants by the Federal Government regarding Indian tribes;

(4) apologizes on behalf of the people of the United States to all Native Peoples for the many instances of violence, maltreatment, and neglect inflicted on Native Peoples by citizens of the United States;

(5) expresses its regret for the ramifications of former wrongs and its commitment to build on the positive relationships of the past and present to move toward a brighter future where all the people of this land live reconciled as brothers and sisters, and harmoniously steward and protect this land together;

(6) urges the President to acknowledge the wrongs of the United States against Indian tribes in the history of the United States in order to bring healing to this land; and

(7) commends the State governments that have begun reconciliation efforts with recognized Indian tribes located in their boundaries and encourages all State governments similarly to work toward reconciling relationships with Indian tribes within their boundaries.